A Rochester Hills lawmaker has introduced a bill that would limit law enforcement's use of unmanned drones -- and the Oakland County Sheriff would like to have had some input on its formulation.

State Rep. Tom McMillin has introduced legislation to limit law enforcement's use of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, and their ability to illegally collect information.

McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, announced Friday that he introduced House Bill 4455, which would put specific guidelines in place for the deployment of unmanned drones by law enforcement, as well as strong reporting requirements and penalties for the unauthorized use of data.

"Since drone technology is developing so rapidly, we should prepare now for the legal and practical challenges that are quickly approaching us, while allowing the reasonable, very narrow, use of drones by law enforcement to aid in our citizens' protection," McMillin said. "Our citizens should not have to worry about Big Brother looking down on them from above."

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Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said he is frustrated with McMillin's approach.

"For a guy who talks about having less government, he spends a lot of time telling people how to run their operations," Bouchard said.

Last year after a West Bloomfield police officer had been shot and killed by a barricaded gunman, Bouchard led a SWAT team to the site and authorized a small drone be flown near a West Bloomfield home to investigate what was happening inside the home. The gunman eventually took his own life.

"(McMillin) never takes the courtesy to call anyone," Bouchard said. "There are legitimate things that need to be discussed (about drones), but his bill goes way beyond the pale. It will negatively impact the public safety of the community."

McMillin said Shelli Weisberg, legislative director for American Civil Liberties Union, supports regulating the use of drones.

"As guardians of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the ACLU of Michigan shares Rep. McMillin's concerns over the use of drones in Michigan," Weisberg said.

"Without a system to regulate the use of this powerful technology, we are forced closer to a 'surveillance society,' in which everyone's move is monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinized by authorities. This legislation is the first step to ensuring that law enforcement cannot sacrifice our fundamental liberties for their convenience."

On Friday North Dakota's Senate killed a House bill that would have required a warrant to use unmanned planes.

The measure would allow law enforcement to use drones if a warrant is obtained during the investigation of a felony crime, or to monitor "an environmental or weather-related catastrophe."

Drones could not be armed with weapons or used to investigate misdemeanor crimes or traffic infractions.

McMillin said he introduced the bill after noticing other states were also preparing legislation.

"It has strong bipartisan support, and I think law enforcement will end up supporting it," he said.

"This is the time to do it."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

FYI

Under state Rep. Tom McMillin's bill, use of a drone by law enforcement would:

Require a warrant or the presence of imminent danger to use a drone,

Require data gathered in an unauthorized manner to be destroyed immediately and made inadmissible in courts,

Prohibit weapons on drones,

Place strong reporting requirements on the use of drones and data collected,

Institute penalties for unauthorized use and negligent reporting, and

Require prior approval of local elected body before drone purchases are allowed.

Contact Carol Hopkins at 248-745-4645 or carol.hopkins@oakpress.com. Follow her on Twitter @OPCarolHopkins or on Facebook @OPcarolhopkins.